Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38424405›Full record

ArticleReproductive sciences (Thousand Oaks, Calif.)2024

Changes in Sperm Parameters with Time in Men with Normal and Abnormal Baseline Semen Analysis.

Nir Cohen, Assaf Ben-Meir, Tzuf Harlap, Tal Imbar, Gilad Karavani

Open access · hybridAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Reproductive sciences (Thousand Oaks, Calif.), 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact, top 97% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 0 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Long-Term Epidemiological Trends and Regional Disparities in Male Infertility in Central Asia (1991-2023).International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Nir CohenInfertility and IVF Unit, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hadassah Ein-Kerem Medical Center and Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.
Assaf Ben-MeirInfertility and IVF Unit, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hadassah Ein-Kerem Medical Center and Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.
Tzuf HarlapFaculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.
Tal ImbarInfertility and IVF Unit, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hadassah Ein-Kerem Medical Center and Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.
Gilad KaravaniDivision of Urology, Department of Surgery, Mount Sinai Hospital and New Women's College Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada. Giladk84@gmail.com.ORCID 0000-0003-1848-4560
Hebrew University of Jerusalem · ILMount Sinai Hospital · CA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The association between paternal age and sperm quality in the population level has been previously studied. Only limited data exists regarding the intra-personal variations in semen parameters among fertile and infertile men over time. We aimed to assess trends over time in semen parameters among men with normal and abnormal baseline sperm parameters and investigate potential risk factors for sperm quality deterioration. This retrospective cohort study was conducted at a university-affiliated medical center in vitro fertilization (IVF) unit. Patients with at least two semen analyses (SA) performed > 1 year apart, with the last SA done between 2017 and 2021, were included. The study consisted of two main analyses-comparison of intra-patient's sperm parameters changes in men with normal and abnormal baseline SA (BSA) and analysis of risk factors for developing abnormal semen parameters over time in men who had normal BSA parameters. This study included a total of 902 men assessed for infertility with normal and abnormal BSA. The average time interval between tests was 1015 days (range 366-7709 days). Among individuals with normal BSA, there was a mild decline in most parameters-concentration (- 6.53 M/ml), motility (- 7.74%), and total motile count (TMC) (- 21.80 M) (p < 0.05 for all parameters). In contrast, a slight improvement in most parameters, except for concentration, was noted in men with abnormal BSA-volume (+ 0.21 ml), motility (+ 8.72%), and TMC (+ 14.38 M) (p < 0.05 for all parameters). Focusing on men with normal BSA, 33.5% of individuals developed abnormality in one or more of their sperm parameters over time, within a mean time of 1013 ± 661 days. We also found that only time between tests emerged as an independent prognostic factor for the development of abnormal SA later. Interestingly, sperm deterioration in participants in their third, fourth, and fifth decades of life with normal initial semen analysis was similar. Our study provides evidence of a decline in semen quality over time in individuals with normal BSA, in contrast to men with abnormal BSA. Longer time intervals between tests independently increase the risk of sperm abnormalities.

Indexed as

Infertility, MaleSemen AnalysisSpermatozoaSperm CountSperm MotilityAdultFertilization in VitroHumansMaleMiddle AgedRetrospective StudiesTime FactorsAgeMale infertilitySemen analysisSperm quality

Identifiers

PMID38424405
PMCPMC11111536
OpenAlexW4392282149

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.